Recruitment of police officers, a new program to reduce costly lawsuits and a plan to tackle the city’s hit-and-run numbers are among nine goals the Los Angeles Police Department’s five-member Board of Police Commissioners has laid out for itself in the coming year.

The civilian oversight panel, which sets policies for the department, plans to unveil its strategic goals for the coming year at a community meeting in San Pedro Tuesday night.

Among the goals are broad outlines to support the department and represent the communities it serves as well as concrete ideas to create a permanent Conflict Resolution Program aimed at slashing costs on internal lawsuits and to work with the city to change application questions that may be limiting the diversity of recruits.

“We ask every one else to establish goals and to come present them to us and to follow up on their progress with us. Why have this ability to ask other areas of the police department to do this when we don’t have ours?,” commission President Steve Soboroff said. “It’s so easy as a commission to just be reactive because there are always so many issues. But these are things we want to be proactive about and help the department.”

Among the issues needing special attention is increasing the number of sworn officers on the force, and particularly the diversity of the academy graduates. The department’s long-held goal of 10,000 officers was met briefly a few years ago, and the number now sits at roughly 9,900, with smaller classes and recruitment efforts stymied by a lengthy application process that often eliminates good candidates, according to Soboroff.

“The recruiting is 20 percent of it. The process is 80 percent of it. We are asking for more input, technical input,” he said. “We’re talking about looking into the questions, the weight of some questions and the things that would categorically eliminate someone.”

Also on the list are completing the implementation of on-body cameras; developing a more formal Risk Management Program to review possible policy changes in light of lawsuit settlements or losses; ensuring the department institutes seat belt policies for on-duty officers; mandating a program to look at education, added enforcement and street engineering opportunities to lower vehicle hit-and-run numbers; and supporting youth-based programs.

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And, in a year when the union representing LAPD’s rank-and-file officers enters into contract negotiations, the commission also plans to support a budget proposal that could include an incremental reinstatement of cash overtime and resolving some pay parity concerns.

Aside from Commissioner Robert Saltzman, who was appointed in 2007 by then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, all of the commissioners joined the board in September and were appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti.